These Anti-Anorexia Ads Are Extremely Disturbing

1) At first glance I did not notice anything unusual about it, and I registered the picture only as, “There is a model in a floral skirt.” I mostly thought about the mechanics of wearing a one sleeve shirt (difficult). It’s bizarre and upsetting to me that my relationship with body image has warped to a point where that is my only immediate response. We are astonishingly used to the media presenting body types that may be very unhealthy, perhaps just because we are so often told that, “Thinner is better.” In making us reconsider that, I think these PSAs are extremely effective. That upset me in a way that was probably good for me to be upset.

2) The tagline is terrible. “Say No To Anorexia?” Few people decide, “I will say yes to anorexia today!” Anorexia is a mental condition that results in a warped perception of your body. The “Say No” slogan implies that you can overcome it with willpower and positive thinking, when, in reality, it is a real condition that can require extensive counseling. It’s not like saying no to drugs. It is not as though, at a party, someone is going to say, “I brought a disease that will destroy your body image. Would you like some?”

Not at most of the parties I go to, anyway.

I suppose you could make an argument that people who frequent pro-ana boards do say yes to anorexia. However, their frequenting those boards strikes me as something that comes about after they have already begun struggling with anorexia.

Basically – saying that people should, “Say No To Anorexia” seems like a terrific oversimplification of a very complicated issue.

What do you think? Do you find these effective? I am genuinely curious.